1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to torch tips, and more particularly, to those torch tips that include guide means that ride on the edges defining the kerf being created.
2. Description of the Related Art
Applicant believes that the closest reference corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 4,176,829 issued to Dixon and entitled Burner Tip Drag Guide. However, in Dixon's device, the angle at which the tip rides with respect to the plane of the material being cut is an awkward one. Also, the resulting separation between the tip and the surface being cut prevent the hottest part of the flame from performing its cutting function efficiently. Finally, the separation of the guide from the cutting flame prevents Dixon's device from following curved paths.
Another such devices is described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,486,575 issued to Rooke and entitled Drag Attachment for Hand Cutting Torches. This device, however, substantially obstructs a user's visibility and, like in Dixon's, it is separated from the flame orifices of the tip thereby exposing the guide to higher temperatures than in the present invention.
Other patents describing the closest subject matter provide for a number of more or less complicated features that fail to solve the problem in an efficient and economical way. None of these patents suggest the novel features of the present invention.